Cape Town – The Education Department and unions are bracing themselves for any “unknowns” that might transpire due to the Covid-19 pandemic as a larger than usual cohort of candidates are to write their matric exams from Thursday.
The Western Cape Education Department ( WCED) has announced that 95 427 candidates will write this month, compared to 64 465 for the same session last year.
The increase is as a result of the May/ June 2020 exam session not taking place due to the pandemic.
Of the candidates writing this month, 54 741 are full-time matric learners.
A total of 10 544 part-time/repeat candidates and 19 286 May/June Senior Certificate candidates will write in this session, as well as 10 856 learners who were due to write supplementary exams this year following the 2019 NSC exams.
National Professional Teachers’ Organisation of South Africa (Naptosa) executive director Basil Manuel said the matric exams usually ran smoothly, and while all preparations had gone into making sure this year was not any different, they and the department would need to be flexible in meeting demands as things moved along.
Manuel said yesterday as a result of more pupils sitting for the exams, poorer schools that did not have vast infrastructure might struggle with limited space.
“Some schools don’t have halls to accommodate writing candidates, and given the larger group, more classrooms will need to be used which may displace other learners.
“Lots of preparation has gone into the exams, and it being in the midst of a pandemic, there could be unknown factors unfolding,” Manuel said.
He said while it was usual for candidates who are sick during exam-time to rewrite the following year, they did not know yet how many pupils might be affected by having to rewrite as a result of Covid-19 testing.
SA Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) provincial chairperson Jonavon Rustin said teachers had worked hard to ensure pupils were prepared.
“Everyone will have concerns that things might not go as planned and so pupils, parents and teachers have to remain positive and do their best. Do not lose hope,” Rustin said.
Education MEC Debbie Schäfer said Mathematical Literacy had the largest number of candidates.
Eight subjects have just one candidate: Equine Studies, Latin Second Additional Language, Modern Greek Second Additional Language, IsiNdebele Home Language, Setswana First Additional Language, Sport and Exercise Science, Unisa Practical Music Grade 7, and Urdu First Additional Language.
“Administering the National Senior Certificate exams is difficult enough in an ordinary year, without the added complications of a combined session amidst a global pandemic.
’’The WCED examinations directorate has done a sterling job in preparing for this session,” Schäfer said.
Cape Times